Everything is Sacred
by DiamondTopaz
Summary: The upright and disciplined Captain of the Hylian Guards. A free-spirited and chipper young Gerudo. This ill-fated pair meets one last time to remove the last shred of evidence of their forbidden romance. Told from two different points of view. Only OC's in this fic.
1. Mekias' POV

**Everything is Sacred **(Mekias' POV)

There were few places in Hyrule, except perhaps the ShadowTemple, as dark and shady as CastleTown's Back Alley after nightfall.

Accompanied only by the carefree yapping of the local stray dogs, a black-haired man paced tensely up and down the darkened alley. He was in his mid-thirties, and maintained an authoritative composure despite his unease. Every indefinite number of seconds, he cast an impatient glance at the corner leading to the drawbridge out of CastleTown.

_It's almost funny, _he thought. _She was never late for our meetings before. _

While he had dressed as inconspicuously as possible for this occasion, even his plainest tunic and simplest boots were enough to distinguish him as a man of higher social rank, if anyone cared to notice. At one point, he stopped pacing halfway through the alley and looked up at the hanging sign over a particular door. The sign featured a rather deplorable image of the goddess Nayru, naked and beckoning unabashedly. Underneath it read "Nayru's Love Bar and Tavern: Everything is Sacred Here."

He turned to resume his pacing…and in doing so he found himself abruptly face to face with the young Gerudo he'd been expecting.

"What kept you?" he asked her flatly. The sight of her ginger hair, bronze skin and yellow eyes which once aroused his senses with desire now only kindled a numbing shame.

The Gerudo was clad in dull, Hylian peasant clothing and holding an indiscernible bundle of cloth against her chest. "I left the Fortress as soon as I could, but once I got to Hyrule Field, she started to cry," she replied. "I had to stop and feed her so that…" her voice tapered off.

Her arms lowered to reveal, wrapped in the cloth, the sleeping face of a tiny baby girl. His eyes wilted, gazing upon his daughter for the first and last time.

"Come, let's hurry before she wakes up." Without sparing him or the child another look, she edged towards the door marked by the indecent sign-the door to Nayru's Love Bar and Tavern.

He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Wait. Let me hold her first."

A deep sigh was her response. "No, I know you, Mekias. You'll have second thoughts about this; it's best if we get it over with quickly."

He gripped her shoulder firmly and tugged her back towards him. "She's my child too, Sandira. She's my _only_ child now," he insisted. "Give me my daughter, I want to hold her just for a moment."

His air of authority prevailed, and she stoically complied, extending the infant into his waiting arms.

He indulged his brief parental moment, swaying the baby girl gently and absorbing the precious image of her face. She was a perfect harmony of her mother's Gerudo heritage and his Hylian heritage. Her skin was a delicate few shades lighter than a Gerudo's, and her eyes and nose were just faintly less narrowed. Her soft wisp of hair, however, matched his ebony shade precisely, and her long slender ears were also that of a Hylian.

He found himself lifting her up, depositing a kiss on her eyelid, hoping she'd wake so he might see the color of her eyes just once. Alas, she kept on slumbering.

"There must be another way," he finally declared. "The orphanage opens first thing in the morning. I could wait here a few hours, and…"

The Gerudo shook her head despondently. "I know your feelings, but we've talked about this. The orphanage keeps records. Your name will come up again eventually, and then everyone will be talking. Someone will figure out what really happened, why your wife and boys…"

"I know, I know," he cut her off. "Don't speak of them again. If they were still alive today, you and I would not be here talking now."

"…" At this, she fell silent, her sober expression withering into one of shame.

A sigh, and while stroking the baby's cheek he continued in a softened tone. "But, why this _brothel_? I wouldn't wish a smut heap like Nayru's Love on _any _girl, much less my own."

"You know why. Their slogan is 'Everything is Sacred Here' for a reason," she responded. "The women who work here…they'll keep any secret, for the right price."

"And what _is_ the right price for keeping a living child hidden from the public's eye?" His eyes remained fixed on his slumbering daughter.

"Listen, I'm no happier than you about how this worked out," she stated earnestly. "This is truly the only way. Our laws say that so long as the Great Ganondorf reigns, there is to be no other man's children tainting our population. And if your inner circle learns what really happened back then, the disgrace will ruin you. As long as she's kept in this tavern, no one finds out. Everything goes back to the way it was, before…"

"Don't say 'before us,'" he interrupted her. "It'll never go back to the way it was then."

"…I know." She nodded sullenly, gripped the doorknob of Nayru's Love and pushed open the door, releasing into the night air the carefree sound of drunken laughter and upbeat music from within. She turned back to him and lifted her arms for the child.

His heart doubled in weight as he removed the baby girl from her warm spot against his chest and gave her back to her mother. He ushered the young Gerudo inside, then after closing the door behind them he scanned the lewd festivities for the proprietress of the brothel.

The Madame of Nayru's Love stood near the back, next to the rustic fire place that overlooked the spacious bar room. She was a decrepit old woman with graying brown hair. Her expensive, almost antique dress had long become too tight for her, and she looked as though her doughy body was about to burst right out of her bodice.

"Why, do my poor old eyes deceive me, or is it our own Captain Mekias and his…friend?" the Madame greeted the pair in a raspy voice, decayed by years of smoking. "It's been well near nine months since we've had the pleasure of your patronage. Though by the looks of your _other_ guest, I presume you're not here to rent a room as before." She eyed the infant.

He wasted no time with the old woman. "How much to keep her here and conceal her identity?" he asked directly.

"Ah. A secret birth, is it?" the hag croaked as casually as if this were the third one she'd seen today. "I believe for 500 rupees, we can easily ensure the child is not traced to you two. Surely one of my girls would be all too happy to raise her as her own. At Nayru's Love, everything is sacred…even our customer's darkest secrets."

"The only thing sacred _here_ gleams purple and gold," he muttered dismally. From his wallet he produced two purple 50-rupee and two gold 200-rupee gems to exchange hands with the Madame.

Her frail eyes glinted for a brief moment at her newly acquired wealth, which she pocketed with an utterance of "A pleasure, Sir."

The Gerudo mother, silent from the moment they entered until now, presented the baby girl to the Madame. "Please, treat her kindly as you can."

"Of course, dear. I care for the well-being of my employees; this child will be no different." The Madame assured her while accepting the infant. "Does she have a name?"

"No-" she began.

"Yes," the father interrupted. "Ticheline."

He focused on his daughter, who had now awakened and opened her eyes. They were brown, just like his. His arms itched to reclaim her, but remained firmly at his sides. "…It's the name my wife picked out, for if we ever had a girl," he explained solemnly.

"I see. Fear not, Sir. No one shall ever know Ticheline is your daughter so long as she resides here," the Madame assured him. "You're free to resume your life as it was before she came into the world."

As trite and simple as a bank transaction, the shady deal was complete. The newborn stayed in the brothel to be raised in secret, and the star-crossed parents departed. The shadows of the Back Alley loomed over them both as they forced one last shameful glance at each other.

"So, this really is goodbye, isn't it?" the Gerudo asked, more to fill the melancholy silence with her voice than to garner a response.

"What do you think?" he asked bluntly.

A pause ensued. "I think you were right when you said it will never go back to the way it was," she said. "But, maybe someday it can be even better."

With that, they parted ways for the last time. Their secret was safe.


	2. Sandira's POV

**Everything is Sacred **(Sandira's POV)

Sandira wished the nursing infant would suckle away some of the heavy weight burdening her chest. But alas, even when the baby had her fill, the Gerudo mother felt no lighter inside.

She permitted herself one glance of the unnamed little girl's face before wrapping her back in the cloth that served as a blanket. The baby's skin was a delicate few shades lighter than a Gerudo's, and her eyes and nose were just faintly less narrowed. Her soft wisp of black hair defied her mother's red-haired lineage, and she bore the pointed ears of a Hylian.

The offspring of a Hylian and a Gerudo. A reminder in flesh of a union that should never have been.

Returning her eyes to the expanse of Hyrule Field ahead of her, Sandira urged her horse to go on towards CastleTown. The drawbridge would be up by this hour. Not that such a mere obstacle had ever stopped her from getting in or out before.

When she found herself across the moat from the west side of CastleTown, her newborn daughter was fast asleep. With all the prowess that earned her tribe their status at fearsome bandits, Sandira made her way onto the roof of a house inside CastleTown by means of a grappling hook. All Gerudo were skilled with grappling hooks—otherwise their Training Ground would be utterly impossible—though it was still an exceptional feat for Sandira with her baby in tow. She peered down over the side of the roof into the Back Alley.

He was there, just as he promised he would be.

He paced, flustered, in front of a particular Back Alley door. Over this door was a hanging sign featuring an irreverent image of the goddess Nayru, clothed with nothing but a few rogue wisps of her hair, beckoning seductively. Underneath it read "Nayru's Love Bar and Tavern: Everything is Sacred Here."

She fondly recalled several months ago, coming to meet him secretly at Nayru's Love on nights like this. Her stomach had erupted in butterflies when she would spy him waiting for her like this, and after she would tease his lack of patience, they would go inside to make the wait worth his while.

There were no butterflies tonight. She knew this secret meeting would end nothing like those they used to have. Adopting a stoic face, she made a graceful and silent descent into the Back Alley, and came face to face with the father of her child for the first time in months, and the last time in forever.

"What kept you?" he asked.

She flinched at the coldness in his tone. Not that she expected a warm reception, after what she had caused. "I left the Fortress as soon as I could, but once I got to Hyrule Field, she started to cry," she replied, apologetically. "I had to stop and feed her so that…" her voice tapered off.

_So that no one would hear and find out about this_, she finished internally. Her weary arms dropped so that he could see the baby she cradled.

"Come, let's hurry before she wakes up," she concluded, and started for the door to Nayru's Love.

His hand fell on her shoulder, making her pause. "Wait. Let me hold her first," he instructed.

Her eyes closed. "No, I know you, Mekias. You'll have second thoughts about this; it's best if we get it over with quickly," she protested.

He gripped her shoulder firmly. She allowed him to pull her back towards him. "She's my child too, Sandira. She's my _only_ child now," he insisted. "Give me my daughter, I want to hold her just for a moment."

Even if there ever was a woman who could refuse such a request, Sandira could never say no to his authoritarian tone. Compliantly, she extended the infant into his waiting arms.

To watch him dote on his sleeping daughter was heart-wrenching. He rocked her in his arms, getting lost in the precious sight of her face. He lifted her up and kissed her eyelid. Sandira was fraught with guilt, knowing he was meant to be a father, and that this would be the second time she would rob him of fatherhood.

"There must be another way," he finally declared. "The orphanage opens first thing in the morning. I could wait here a few hours, and…"

"I know your feelings, but we've talked about this," she reminded him. "The orphanage keeps records. Your name will come up again eventually, and then everyone will be talking. Someone will figure out what really happened, why your wife and boys…"

"I know, I know," he cut her off. "Don't speak of them again. If they were still alive today, you and I would not be here talking now."

"…" She fell silent. What good would it do to say anything? Would apologizing have eased his anguish when his wife found out about them, taking their sons' lives and her own in maddening grief? All Sandira could offer him then as a condolence was the one surviving child of his, still growing in her womb. There was nothing she could say now, either, when he was on the verge of losing that too.

"But, why this _brothel_? I wouldn't wish a smut heap like Nayru's Love on _any _girl, much less my own," Mekias declared.

"You know why. Their slogan is 'Everything is Sacred Here' for a reason," she responded. "The women who work here…they'll keep any secret, for the right price."

"And what _is_ the right price for keeping a living child hidden from the public's eye?"

"Listen, I'm no happier than you about how this worked out," she stated earnestly. "This is truly the only way. Our laws say that so long as the Great Ganondorf reigns, there is to be no other man's children tainting our population. And if your inner circle learns what really happened back then, the disgrace will ruin you. As long as she's kept in this tavern, no one finds out. Everything goes back to the way it was, before…"

"Don't say 'before us,'" he interrupted her. "It'll never go back to the way it was then."

"…I know." She nodded. Anxious to end this painful conversation, she gripped the doorknob of Nayru's Love and pushed open the door, releasing into the night air the carefree sound of drunken laughter and upbeat music from within. She turned back to him and lifted her arms for the child.

He hesitated before relinquishing his daughter back to her. Together, they entered the brothel without another word and scanned the lewd festivities for the Madame of Nayru's Love.

The old proprietress stood near the back, next to the rustic fire place that overlooked the spacious bar room. She was a decrepit old woman with graying brown hair. Her expensive, almost antique dress had long become too tight for her, and she looked as though her doughy body was about to burst right out of her bodice.

"Why, do my poor old eyes deceive me, or is it our own Captain Mekias and his…friend?" the Madame greeted the pair in a raspy voice, decayed by years of smoking. "It's been well near nine months since we've had the pleasure of your patronage. Though by the looks of your _other_ guest, I presume you're not here to rent a room as before." She eyed the infant.

Sandira opened her mouth to speak, but Mekias beat her to it. "How much to keep her here and conceal her identity?" he asked.

"Ah. A secret birth, is it?" the hag croaked as casually as if this were the third one she'd seen today. "I believe for 500 rupees, we can easily ensure the child is not traced to you two. Surely one of my girls would be all too happy to raise her as her own. At Nayru's Love, everything is sacred…even our customer's darkest secrets."

"The only thing sacred _here_ gleams purple and gold," the Guard Captain scoffed. He stoically provided the two purple 50-rupee and two gold 200-rupee gems to exchange hands with the Madame.

Her frail eyes glinted for a brief moment at her newly acquired wealth, which she pocketed with an utterance of "A pleasure, Sir."

Sandira finally found the will to speak. "Please, treat her kindly as you can."

"Of course, dear. I care for the well-being of my employees; this child will be no different." The Madame assured her while accepting the infant. "Does she have a name?"

"No-" the Gerudo began.

"Yes," the father interrupted. "Ticheline."

Sandira cast him a quizzical look.

"…It's the name my wife picked out, for if we ever had a girl," he explained solemnly. To that she said no more.

"I see. Fear not, Sir. No one shall ever know Ticheline is your daughter so long as she resides here," the Madame assured him. "You're free to resume your life as it was before she came into the world."

As trite and simple as a bank transaction, the shady deal was complete. The newborn stayed in the brothel to be raised in secret, and the star-crossed parents departed. The shadows of the Back Alley loomed over them both as they forced one last shameful glance at each other.

"So, this really is goodbye, isn't it?" the Gerudo asked, more to fill the melancholy silence with her voice than to garner a response.

"What do you think?" he asked bluntly.

A pause ensued. "I think you were right when you said it will never go back to the way it was," she said. "But, maybe someday it can be even better."

But as they parted for the final time, she was still struggling to convince herself of this.


End file.
